Finding Home

: Two-year-old Sidney Myers looks out from the back seat of his family’s Lincoln Continental. The vehicle, which has seen better days, is crammed with toys for Sidney, blankets, coolers and bags. It is their home. Two-year-old Sidney Myers looks out from the back seat of his family’s Lincoln Continental. The vehicle, which has seen better days, is crammed with toys for Sidney, blankets, coolers and bags. It is their home.

: Sidney gazes out the window as his mother, Wendy, and father, Jerry Myers, get things organized for the night. Their car has been home, except for a brief respite from relatives, for more than a year as Myers searches for employment opportunities.

: Myers makes sure his Sidney is bundled up before playing outside on a chilly afternoon. Myers and his family landed on the Gulf Coast two months ago after hearing there might be work available. Before the recession Myers was a welder, making a good living working industrial shutdowns. He never dreamed the jobs would run out.

: Myers warms up microwave dinners with the heat from his engine. It’s one of the many tricks he’s learned to help his family survive. “All we want poeple to know is we’re not bums. We’re out-of-work Americans. We are just looking for jobs.”

: Wendy Arredondo tries to get her son, Sidney, ready for bed as the light fades. The family parks their car behind a casino near the Biloxi Bay Bridge. During the day they may make a trip to the nearby beach, but often the empty parking lot serves as Sidney’s personal playground as he pedals his big wheel around their Lincoln Continental.

: Arredondo gets Sidney in his pajamas and ready for bed in the front seat of their Lincoln Continental. As darkness falls she will arrange blankets in the back seat for her and Sidney. Myers sleeps in the front seat. The homeless population in South Mississippi is estimated to be around 1,800. Of that, at least 10 percent of them are families.

: Myers and Arredondo watch over Sidney as he plays. The family has found strength in one another while living homeless for over a year. Even so, Myers never imagined he’d be in this circumstance and dreams of providing a true home for his family.

: Myers stays warm in the front seat of his Lincoln Continental while his fiance plays with his son in the back. The family keeps faith in God as they struggle through hard times, saying their prayers each night before going to bed.

: Arredondo holds Sidney before bedtime at a cold weather shelter at Donal Snyder Community Center. The shelter, run by the American Red Cross, opens only when freezing temperatures are forecast. On such nights, even with all their blankets piled in the backseat of the Lincoln Continental, Wendy and Jerry fear for their son’s health and come to the shelter.

: Sidney helps his father as they organize their belongings at a cold weather shelter at the Donal Snyder Community Center.

: Myers carries his son, Sidney, as they walk to pass the time until darkness. Sometimes, if they come across a bit of line and a discarded hook, Jerry will try to show Sidney how to fish. Despite the circumstances Myers remains optimistic, finding strength in his faith and believing that everything happens for a reason. Even so, he also fears that these may be the only memories his son will have of his childhood.

: Arredondo plays with Sidney while Myers sits on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture, in their new home. After thirteen months living in their car, luck smiled on the family. With the help of Lady Fatima and an anonymous benefactor the family was able to secure a roof over their heads. Myers also found a job as a dump-trunk driver for a local construction company. “I’m going to sleep tonight for the first time in 13 months,” said Myers.

: Two-year-old Sidney looks out the window of his new home in Gulfport. In exchange for the backseat of a car he now has a room all to himself, his stuffed animals neatly lined in rows on a dresser next to his bed. The Myers family said they will always be grateful for the various volunteers and charitable organization that helped their family.